(February 4, 2016 at 1:21 pm)Nymphadora Wrote: Curious but why does the author of the OP keep referring to himself in the third person?

I am the OP. I posted the OP. But Joe Prever is the author of the article which is the real subject of the OP.

Sorry for any confusion.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:19 pm)athrock Wrote: The author of the OP seems to think that it is entirely possible to be gay and Catholic and that his experience of being a Catholic has been positive because he views his relationship with God to be greater than the cost of celibacy.

Who would have thought that possible?

Again, I must ask, who cares?

Good for him for living his life the way he chooses.  Unless he tries to deny me the same freedom, I fail to see why his story should matter to me.

(February 4, 2016 at 12:48 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 12:22 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: He is sacrificing living his own life to its fullest; sacrificing living his life as a person EQUAL in value, equal under the LAW, to all other people in the world based on the petty, baseless rules from a really, really old book.  

This is what saddens me about religion...to see how its teachings can cause person to literally discriminate against themselves.  

This is what saddens me about atheism...to see how people who are enslaved by their own emotions, their own carnal desires, and their own limited understanding actually believe themselves to be free.

I am a happily married woman, and faithful wife to my husband; No slave to my carnal desires. I don't understand why you don't feel you deserve the very same. And yeah, you're right. I don't need a sky daddy to show me right from wrong any more. I grew up and learned to think for myself. Freedom.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:14 pm)drfuzzy Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 1:09 pm)athrock Wrote: Jesus didn't HAVE to say anything about homosexuality. The sinfulness of THAT was a given. 

Uh huh.  A few verses in Leviticus.  Along with a whole bunch of other OT laws that people no longer follow.  And you completely ignored the fact that Jesus strongly preached against divorce, but you just ignore him on that one.  Cherry-picking as well as judging and hating too, apparently.

I've never been divorced, and I believe that divorce is wrong. Period.

So, you are in error about my beliefs. I have neither cherry-picked nor judged nor hated in this regard.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:25 pm)KevinM1 Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 1:19 pm)athrock Wrote: The author of the OP seems to think that it is entirely possible to be gay and Catholic and that his experience of being a Catholic has been positive because he views his relationship with God to be greater than the cost of celibacy.

Who would have thought that possible?

Again, I must ask, who cares?

Good for him for living his life the way he chooses.  Unless he tries to deny me the same freedom, I fail to see why his story should matter to me.

Well, the value, I suppose, in testimonies like that of Joe Prever is that it puts to lie the slanderous accusation that the Catholic Church is homophobic or somehow disrespectful to gay people.

And it may give hope to those gays and lesbians who may be wondering if it is possible for THEM to live a godly life as celibate Catholics. 

The message is: You can do this.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:29 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 1:25 pm)KevinM1 Wrote: Again, I must ask, who cares?

Good for him for living his life the way he chooses.  Unless he tries to deny me the same freedom, I fail to see why his story should matter to me.

Well, the value, I suppose, in testimonies like that of Joe Prever is that it puts to lie the slanderous accusation that the Catholic Church is homophobic or somehow disrespectful to gay people.

As long as they're celibate. And that's a problem.

Joe Prever is just another victim of the Catholic Church. He just doesn't see it. Victims never do. Survivors see it, while Victims don't.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:22 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 1:14 pm)Divinity Wrote: No, what's contrived bullshit is the entire fucking Catholic religion.  Guess the fuck what doesn't apply to any of us?  ANY OF YOUR STUPID FUCKING RULES.  

I think you are the one who needs professional counseling.  As do any other Catholics who think their rules should apply to everyone else.  It's time to stop being a sorry piece of shit, and start being a decent human being.

I have not said that the rules of the Catholic Church should apply to everyone. The rules of the Catholic Church should apply to Catholics.

It's God's rules that should apply to everyone (including Catholics).

The trick is to figure out if and where these two sets of rules differ. 

Easy. There is no god.  MEN made the rules.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:25 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 12:48 pm)athrock Wrote: This is what saddens me about atheism...to see how people who are enslaved by their own emotions, their own carnal desires, and their own limited understanding actually believe themselves to be free.

I am a happily married woman, and faithful wife to my husband; No slave to my carnal desires.  I don't understand why you don't feel you deserve the very same.  And yeah, you're right.  I don't need a sky daddy to show me right from wrong any more.  I grew up and learned to think for myself.  Freedom.  

Carnal desires include far more than sexual matters, LC.

To be "carnal" means to live according to the desires of the flesh. This could mean anything from a desire for more chocolate, a bigger house, a promotion at work. These things are not bad - nor is sex, btw - but our DESIRES for them can be the things that DRIVE us each day. As such, these desires are disordered.

You may have seen the bumpersticker "Whoever dies with the most toys, wins." This is an example of a carnal, or worldly, philosophy. Perhaps you have a friend or neighbor whose whole life revolves around his new boat, her vacation plans, her wardrobe, his promotion. Bigger. Better. Faster. More expensive toys. They are not trying to merely keep up with the Joneses, they want to BE the Joneses. They have a hunger for things, for pleasures - drugs, alcohol, sex, money, power - that is insatiable, and they strive to find anything to fill the emptiness they feel inside. Something to distract them from the pain. This is because the things of this world cannot satisfy us for very long. We are eternal and these momentary, material pleasures are not.

And not to replay a subject which has been beaten to death in this forum, but without God, you can ACT according to your ideas of right and wrong, but you cannot KNOW what is right and wrong.

(February 4, 2016 at 1:26 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 4, 2016 at 1:14 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: Uh huh.  A few verses in Leviticus.  Along with a whole bunch of other OT laws that people no longer follow.  And you completely ignored the fact that Jesus strongly preached against divorce, but you just ignore him on that one.  Cherry-picking as well as judging and hating too, apparently.

I've never been divorced, and I believe that divorce is wrong. Period.

So, you are in error about my beliefs. I have neither cherry-picked nor judged nor hated in this regard.

Ah, so you go out and rant and rave to your divorced friends about how they're WRONG, do you?  Glad you cleared that up.